Turning to the issue of asbestos in Telstra pits, Livingstone said that safety procedures were not followed in some cases.

“Remediation work on our pits stopped as soon as we identified concerns with the work practices used
by some of our contractors,” she said. “We have taken steps to absolutely minimise the risk of such incidents occurring again,”

Pit work began on 26 August after the telco introduced training requirements and ensured contracting partners adhered to requirements.

She added that the company is training up to 200 staff to supervise pit remediation in the field.

“Our priority has been – and remains – the safety of our employees, contractors and the general public,” Livingstone said.

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